Clyda Rovers strike late to relegate O'Donovan Rossa from Senior A ranks
Elliot Connolly of O'Donovan Rossa is shadowed by Clyda Rovers' Niall Burke during Saturday's McCarthy Insurance Group SAFC relegation play-off in Páirc Uí Rinn. Picture: George Hatchell
A burst of 1-3 in injury time preserved Clyda Rovers’ Senior A football status as they relegated O’Donovan Rossa at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday.
Leading by 0-13 to 0-10 in the 57th minute, the Mourneabbey side saw that advantage wiped out as Dylan Hourihane Sr’s two-point free ended a long scoring drought for their Skibbereen opponents before goalkeeper Derek Tobin levelled with a 45.
The prospect of extra time was a live one but Clyda restored their three-point lead as Cian Walsh’s delivery dropped and midfielder Ben Nyhan diverted the ball to the net.
That was followed by a two-point score from Walsh to put five points between the sides – a lead Clyda had held early in the first half before an even game materialised thereafter – Nyhan made sure of the win as he helped on a 45 from goalkeeper Kevin Coffey.
Before that late flurry, Clyda had looked likelier winners as they took over around the middle to halt a positive Skibb opening to the second half. Two Kevin Graham points had them in front while wing-back Aidan Kelly, lively throughout, sent over a long-ranger and David Cooney profited from a good assist by Colin Kelly.
Aidan Kelly went close to a goal too, denied by Darren Daly, and, while they were on top, Clyda were unable to kill off Skibb, allowing them to level before the decisive late intervention.
Clyda had started like a train. Kevin Graham had landed the game’s opening score and a two-pointer from captain David Walsh helped them to establish a 0-5 to 0-0 as Skibb looked in danger of letting the game slip out of reach even at such an early stage.
Midfielder Luca Harte was prominent as they gained a foothold, scoring one and setting up another for David Shannon while Dylan Hourihane Sr got his first of the day.
They did have to ride their luck as Graham put a Clyda goal chance wide but they were level at 0-6 each as Niall Daly rounded off a good move on 26 minutes – when Kevin Hurley broke the kickout, Dylan Hourihane Jr’s work was the catalyst for his namesake to put them ahead for the first time.
A one-point advantage might have become four as Darren Daly’s pass allowed Hurley to surge goalwards but his low shot was off-target. In the wake of that, the pendulum swung again as Cian Walsh’s orange flag had Clyda back in front before Aidan Kelly doubled the lead.
David Shannon made it a one-point game in injury time and then tied matters again within a minute of the restart. When Dylan Hourihane Sr added his third, they were in front, 0-10 to 0-9, with 32 minutes on the clock.
By the time they added to that tally, normal time had nearly expired but Clyda had been unable to put enough daylight between the sides. The Mourneabbey outfit rectified that with their late surge.
C Walsh 0-5 (2 2pt), B Nyhan 1-1, K Graham 0-3, A Kelly, D Walsh (2pt) 0-2 each, C O’Sullivan (0-1f), C Cooney, D Cooney 0-1 each.
Dylan Hourihane 0-5 (1 2ptf), D Shannon 0-3, L O’Sullivan 0-2, D Tobin (0-1 45), N Daly, L Harte 0-1 each.
K Coffey; D Buckley, N Burke, C Cooney; A Kelly, A Walsh, C Kelly; D Walsh, B Nyhan; C O’Mullane, K Graham, C O’Sullivan; C Walsh, D Cooney, P Ryan.
C Flanagan for Cooney, C Corbett for P Ryan (46).
D Tobin; S Fitzgerald, D Daly, F Hurley; N Daly, C O’Driscoll, O Lucey; L Harte, C Coombes; D Shannon, Dylan Hourihane Jr, K Hurley; Dylan Hourihane Sr, E Connolly, L O’Sullivan.
T Hegarty for Shannon (42), J Goulding for Lucey (45), A Daly for O’Sullivan (53, injured), S McCarthy for Dylan Hourihane Jr (59).
A O’Connor (Ballygarvan).
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